‘Snowfall’ In July: John Singleton’s FX Show About the Crack Epidemic in LA Gets Premiere Date

The summertime might not seem like a likely time to see snow, but FX is making sure our summer gets a cold front with the premiere of Snowfall. The John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, Higher Learning) drama series is set to make its series debut on July 5 at 10 PM ET/PT.

The series revolves around the crack epidemic in South Central, Los Angeles and takes place in 1983, when the days of crack and crack cocaine were just beginning and the drug’s impact on the culture there was just beginning to be felt. As the crack epidemic spreads, the series will touch on its effect and influence as it delivers blow from blow to the black community, eventually leaving the community grossly debilitated.

The central perspective in the story will be told through the lens of Franklin Saint, portrayed by British newcomer Damson Idris, who is a young entrepreneur looking for power on the streets. Other characters will also be focused on to provide a more accurate depiction of the crack epidemic as a whole picture and its consequences.

According to Deadline, also starring in Snowfall will be “Gustavo “El Oso” Zapata (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), a Mexican wrestler caught up in a power struggle within a crime family; Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson), a CIA operative running from a dark past who begins an off-book operation to fund the Nicaraguan Contras; and Lucia Villanueva (Emily Rios), the self-possessed daughter of a Mexican crime lord.”

Snowfall focuses on three areas: the CIA, South Central, and East L.A. and centers on those areas as they encounter the crack-epidemic over the course of that year (1983-1984). Viewers will see the evolution of how crack cocaine changed a neighborhood and created a war zone out of urban Los Angeles. “People described the period like a bomb being dropped,” said showrunner/EP Dave Andron earlier this year at TCA.

“If you went to South Central [before the crack epidemic], there weren’t any bars on windows; there were less fences. This happens and Snowfall prevails on neighborhoods, changing alliances and families,” Singleton stated.

Though the series is not based on any source material, Singleton worked hard to rely heavily on consultants to make their reimagining as factual as possible. Singleton has a special connection to this project, as he does many of his projects that take place in LA, because of his upbringing in the city during that time. If it’s anything as gripping and poignant as Boyz n the Hood, it is sure to be a cult classic that reigns nostalgic for those familiar with that time and setting and put others on to what really happened if they are naïve or unaware.

The 10-episode first season is slated to premiere July 5, and though there is not yet any news of a renewal, it is very possible for The Wire-esque freshman series.

Time will tell.

Will you be tuning in to Snowfall this summer?

Photo Cred: PR Photos

Sheriden Chanel is a twenty-something writer, Beyoncé enthusiast, and lover of all things visual art. Keep up with her and her musings on social via @indiebyline.